al-Asfar al-Muqaddasa inda al-Yahud wa Atharuha fi Inhirafihim Ard wa Naqd
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- Editions
- Islamic University of Madinah
al-Asfar al-Muqaddasa inda al-Yahud wa Atharuha fi Inhirafihim Ard wa Naqd (The Sacred Scriptures of the Jews and Their Impact on Their Deviation: Presentation and Critique) is an academic study in comparative religion and Islamic polemics by Mahmud Abd al-Rahman Qadah, a faculty member at the Islamic University of Madinah. Published in issue 111 of the Journal of the Islamic University of Madinah (1423 AH / 2002 CE), the treatise examines the composition of Jewish scriptures and analyzes their historical and theological alterations from an Islamic perspective.
Structure and Scope
The author states that the study follows the methodology of early Muslim scholars who utilized the Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah to demonstrate points of textual alteration (tahrif and tabdil) in prior scriptures. The work is organized into three principal chapters (mabahith):
- Belief in Divine Books (al-Iman bi-al-kutub al-ilahiyyah): Sets forth the Islamic framework regarding faith in revealed scriptures, the occurrence of distortion in pre-Quranic texts, and the legal ruling regarding Muslims reading altered versions of the Torah and the Gospels.
- Sacred Scriptures of the Jews: Presentation and Critique (al-Asfar al-muqaddasa inda al-Yahud — ard wa-naqd): Surveys the corpus of Jewish sacred literature, dividing it into the Tanakh (comprising the Torah, the Prophets or Nevi'im, and the Writings or Ketuvim, also termed Miqra and the Masoretic text) and the Talmud (consisting of the Mishnah and the Gemara), in addition to non-canonical or apocryphal writings. It also notes sectarian divergences regarding the canon, such as the Samaritan acceptance of only the five books of the Torah alongside historical views of Joshua and Judges.
- The Impact of Sacred Scriptures on Jewish Deviation (Athar al-asfar al-muqaddasa fi inhiraf al-Yahud): Analyzes how textual corruptions influenced creedal, legal, and behavioral deviations, including anthropomorphism (tashbih), attributing a son to God, and portraying prophets in ways inconsistent with moral uprightness.
Method of Critique
The critical evaluation of the biblical texts in the work proceeds along two central tracks:
- Transmission Critique (naqd al-sanad): Challenges the attribution of the existing Torah and associated books to Moses and later prophets, citing the absence of original manuscripts and unbroken chains of transmission, and citing critical observations from figures such as Baruch Spinoza regarding post-Mosaic authorship.
- Textual Critique (naqd al-matn): Details internal contradictions, historical anachronisms (such as mentions of geographic names that arose after the death of Moses), anthropomorphic depictions of the Divine, and narratives in books such as Kings, Ezekiel, Song of Songs, and Hosea that conflict with Islamic standards of prophetic infallibility.
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